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Judge orders 42 trials in church abuse lawsuits

August 26, 2007

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA — A federal bankruptcy judge Friday ordered immediate jury trials in more than 40 sex abuse lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.

Trials scheduled in state court in San Diego for five cases had been suspended in February when the diocese abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection the night before the first trial was scheduled to begin.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Louise DeCarl Adler's ruling on the 42 lawsuits is a victory for about 150 people who claim they were abused by priests.

Their lawyers argue that reactivating those trials was the only way to get the diocese into a settlement after more than three years of fruitless negotiations in state and federal courts.

The San Diego diocese has offered about $94 million to settle the claims as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan. Plaintiffs' attorneys seek a settlement of about $200 million.

Diocese attorneys have argued that jury trials would slow progress toward a settlement and may give unfair priority to the claims of plaintiffs whose cases went to trial first.